Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-03-09
State AFFAIRS.
The House Committee Rejects the
Senate Bill to Give University
Regents Control Of the Lands.
The Occupation Tex BIZ Defeated by
the NouSc-Cemp'rOIier Mccall en-
Personal Property Taxation.
TIE Senate Passes the Geological Survey
Bill To EegcUssment-Both Houses
Reduced TO Il Ouorum,
OCCUPATION TAX BILL.


AUSTIN, Ten, March S-The first
measure of any importance before the
Lower House during the morning session
was the b;iAto revise ard amend the &C.
bupation tax law. After the bill was read
and few minor changes made and large
number OF amendments rejected, the vote
was taken on its tiaal passage Gnd result
ed in the defeat of the bill.
SENATE BILL REJECTED.
The House committee on lands and land
policy presented majority and minority
reports on tie Senate bill giving the re
gents of the University control of the sale
and lease of the lands set apart for the
maintenance of that institution. The
most important feature in the Senate bill
that is considered OF vital Importance by
the friends CT that bill is the leasing of the
lands to bring in & revenue which will be
a yearly income. Unlike the public
school lands, the Universe! y lads were
surveyed and set Spsrt in solid blocks
instead of alternate sections, ard as the
major part of these lands, tits claimed lie
in Tom Green county, and south OF the
New Mexico line along the Rio Grande
river and nearly all are pastoral lands,
the Universityirepresents that unGer these
conditions it would be unjust 10 plsce
them under the same control wit the
other school lands. 1t wes shown that
| during the past four years there lad been
4 loss Of about $4,000 per year on aC-
count Of the management Of these lands
| by the land board; that the board of
| regents had by their personal eXertl0ns
succeeded ia leasing out large portion
OF the first million acres q. cents per
acre, but these leases were rejected by
! the land hoard az being below the rates
fixed by them, and that such leases can
again Ue affected by tae regents ii al
lowed to control the lands. The con
| tracts ana collections all go into the state
treasury which viii keep all the accounts,
and the Legislature itself will disburse
The money. They further hcli that I'M
| less the regents are allowed to look after
! the parties occupying the lands they will
probably remain as heretofore, free COM
| mons used by large cattlemen and yield
| ing no revenues. For these reasons they
recommend that the majority report be
not adopted. This places the bill in 8
peculiar position, and foreshadows a
lively discussion when it comes up for
the action of the House.
THE GEOLOGICAL BILL.
The Senate took up the geological sur
vey bill at it's morning session and can
vassed the necessity of its passage at this
session of the Legislature. There SEEM
ed to Oe no question as to the utility of
such measure and its Importance to the
future development of the state was con-
coded by all, but the amount of the ap-
preparation necessary to start the enter
prise was the subject of much discussion,
opinions varying between $4,000 and
$4,000. A compromise was effected by
adopting $50, 900. Several typographical
mistakes were discovered and corrected,
and the bill passed to engrossment.
PRIVATE CORPORATIONS.
During the afternoon session the Sen
ate engaged in lively discussion over an
amendment to the bill to permi. private
corporations to be formed, to strike out
the paragraph to permit the transaction
Of a printing and publishing business and
IN connection Herewith the sale cf goods,
wares and merchandise Of stationery
and blank book manufacturing business.
These advocating this change claimed
that under its provisions large mOn0po-
lies can be built up that would be as dan
geTOus TO the interest Of the people as
railroads. or any other corporate power
licensed by law. Those opposed to the
motion to strike out repre-
scented that the business Of print
ing and the manufacturing of
blanks aud blank books could not be
carried on by the persons engaged in that
business in this state aud compete with
persons engaged in the same business in
other states. The reason given for this
position Was that those engaged in the
business were poor men and unless they
were permitted to incorporate so that
their employees could become stock
holders instead of having to psy them
such wages as amounted to sums SO largr
as to prevent the productions Of their
establishments beng sold at prices that
would bring them 10 competition with
articles manufactured by similar estab-
lishments without the state who are
working under the corporate system, they
could not successfully compete.
After lengthy discussion the motion
20 strike out was lost. Several amend
ments were added and the bill was en-
crossed.
COMPTROLLER's OFFICE.
comptroller MCCALL, replying to letter
referred to HIM by Attorney General Hogg
relative 10 personal property rendered
for taxation encountered with mortgage
or deed Of trust, holds that the property
is Liable for the delinquent taxes of the
owner thereof, and can be levied upon
and sold at forced ssle Notwithstanding
such mortgage or deed of trust may have
been executed before assessment, unless
there had been foreclosure aud sale and
the property had passed out of the pos
session of the owner; but where party
obtains real estate and personal
property, and before collection of
taxes thereon disposes of both the real
estate and personal property by sale, the
land is subject to levy and sale for the
taxes upon such land, because the law
creates lien upon the land for its own
taxes, but the personal property cannot
be followed out of the hands of the orr
ginsl owner. Real estate over the amount
reserved for the homestead can be sold
for taxes due on personal property that
has passed GU. of the hands of the owner